FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2013
Arduino collects MVP honors, Merrimack's
Clancy named Offensive Player of the Year
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – American International College junior quarterback Kevin Arduino has been named the 2013 Northeast-10 Conference Football Most Valuable Player, the league office announced Wednesday morning.
Arduino, who led the Yellow Jackets to the 2013 Northeast-10 Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth, has thrown for 2,374 yards and 13 touchdowns so far this season, while his 20 rushing touchdowns ranks first among conference leaders and is tied for sixth in Division II. He is second overall in the Northeast-10 with 942 rushing yards this year.
The Cornwall, N.Y. native was also named the Most Outstanding Player of last weekend's Northeast-10 title game in Springfield, Mass., as Arduino totaled over 300 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-17 victory over Stonehill College. The win cemented the Yellow Jackets' spot in the NCAA Tournament field.
Merrimack College senior quarterback Joe Clancy captured his second straight Northeast-10 Offensive Player of the Year honor, the conference office announced Wednesday.
This fall, Clancy became the first student-athlete in Northeast-10 history to pass for over 4,000 yards in a single season. He led the conference in passing yards (4116), passing yards per game (374.2), passing touchdowns (48), completions (396) and completion percentage (64.4%), while ranking first or second in the nation in multiple offensive categories. The Newburyport, Mass., native threw only 10 interceptions for the Warriors.
Clancy received a First Team Offense All-Conference selection, while Arduino was named Second Team Offense All-Conference. For a complete list of the 2013 Northeast-10 All-Conference First and Second Team Offenses and Defenses and All-Rookie Team, as voted upon by the league's head coaches, please see below.
American Int'l junior linebacker Jaquawne Simpkins received 2013 Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors, as the Poughkeepsie, N.Y native is fifth in the conference with 94 total tackles, averaging 8.5 per contest. Simpkins also has 3.0 sacks, 7.0 tackles-for-loss and one interception for an American Int'l defense that is first among Northeast-10 teams in both points allowed (21.3) and yards allowed (361.1) per game.
University of New Haven freshman defensive back Najae Brown was named Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year and was recognized on the All-Conference First Team Defense. The rookie from Edison, N.J. finished fifth among conference leaders with 55 solo tackles and totaled 77 overall. The two-time Northeast-10 Rookie of the Week also had three interceptions in 11 games, which tied for eighth in the conference.
American Int'l senior Viondy Merisma received Northeast-10 Offensive Lineman of the Year honors, as the Waltham, Mass. native and First Team Offense All-Conference choice helped pave the way for the conference's top rushing team. He also helped anchor an offensive line that has surrendered just 11 sacks in 11 games.
Receiving Northeast-10 Defensive Lineman of the Year honors was Assumption College junior Derrick Mann. The Sharon, Mass. native tied for second in the Northeast-10 with 5.5 sacks for a loss of 39 yards, while his 11.0 tackles-for-loss tied for fifth in the conference. Mann also had 25 total tackles and three interceptions in 11 games for the Greyhounds.
American Int'l head coach Art Wilkins received Coach of the Year honors at the helm of the Yellow Jackets, who will be making their first NCAA appearance since 2008. For Wilkins, currently in the midst of his 20th season in Springfield, 2013 marks the fourth time in his career he has guided American Int'l to the nine-win plateau.
New Haven and Assumption College both led the way with 11 student-athletes named to one of the four All-Conference teams, followed by American Int'l with 10. Merrimack and Stonehill had eight selections apiece.
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
2013 Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team Offense
Pos., Name, School (Year, Hometown)
QB Joe Clancy*, Merrimack (Sr., Newburyport, Mass.)
RB Mike DeCaro, New Haven (Sr., Weston, Fla.)
RB Keith Charles, Saint Anselm (Sr., Laurel, Md.)
WR Jeff Hill, Bentley (Jr., Mansfield, Mass.)
WR Jere Brown, Merrimack (So., Freeport, N.Y.)
WR Justin Bernard, Saint Anselm (Jr., Cambridge, Mass.)
WR Nate Robitaille, Stonehill (Jr., Attleboro, Mass.)
TE Scott Simonson, Assumption (Sr., Red Bank, N.J.)
OL Viondy Merisma*, American Int'l (Sr., Waltham, Mass.)
OL Dan Naja, American Int'l (Jr., Smithtown, N.Y.)
OL Mike Hubbard, Merrimack (Sr., Wakefield, Mass.)
OL Chris Biondi, New Haven (Sr., Manorville, N.Y.)
OL Tom Linden, Stonehill (Jr., Durham, Conn.)
PK Tad Beuchert, Assumption (Sr., Danvers, Mass.)
RS Mike DeCaro, New Haven (Sr., Weston, Fla.)
2013 Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team Defense
Pos., Name, School (Year, Hometown)
DL Derrick Mann*, Assumption (Jr., Sharon, Mass.)
DL Khalid Pitts, Assumption (Sr., Clifton, N.J.)
DL Matt Tripicchio, Merrimack (Sr., Lake Zurich, Ill.)
DL Sean Berglund, New Haven (Sr., Wolcott, Conn.)
DL Alex Dyer, New Haven (Gr., Westbrook, Conn.)
LB Jaquawne Simpkins*, American Int'l (Jr., Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
LB Demetrius Steed, American Int'l (So., Boston, Mass.)
LB Matt Colangelo, Assumption (Sr., Cromwell, Conn.)
LB Rob Bright, LIU Post (Sr., East Meadow, N.Y.)
LB Brian Harrington, Stonehill (Jr., Rockland, Mass.)
DB Mike Ford, American Int'l (So., Sammamish, Wash.)
DB Mike Bates, Assumption (Sr., Holden, Mass.)
DB Artis Holt, Merrimack (Sr., Baltimore, Md.)
DB Najae Brown*, New Haven (Fr., Edison, N.J.)
P Anthony Greenfield, New Haven (Jr., Bloomfield, N.J.)
P Ryan Handy, Stonehill (Jr., Howell, N.J.)
2013 Northeast-10 All-Conference Second Team Offense
Pos., Name, School (Year, Hometown)
QB Kevin Arduino*, American Int'l (Jr., Cornwall, N.Y.)
RB Matt Pedone, Assumption (Sr., Holden, Mass)
RB John Moscatel, So. Connecticut (Jr., Lexington, Mass.)
WR Stephan Davis, American Int'l (Jr., Selden, N.Y.)
WR Joe Botti, LIU Post (Sr., Holtsville, N.Y.)
WR Shane Ferguson, Merrimack (Sr., Point Pleasant Beach, N.J.)
WR Nick Music, New Haven (Gr., West Milford, N.J.)
TE Mike Flacco, New Haven (So., Audubon, N.J.)
OL George Grosz, American Int'l (Jr., Clifton, N.J.)
OL Jack Dustin, Assumption (Sr., Foxboro, Mass.)
OL Zach Guy, New Haven (Jr., Rochester, N.Y.)
OL Zach Voytek, New Haven (So., Trumbull, Conn.)
OL Dom Diglio, So. Connecticut (Sr., East Haven, Conn.)
PK Steve Gryzwacz, Stonehill (So., Manchester, N.H.)
RS Quinn McDonough, Merrimack (Sr., Medford, Mass.)
2013 Northeast-10 All-Conference Second Team Defense
Pos., Name, School (Year, Hometown)
DL Andrew Justice, American Int'l (So., Brooklyn, N.Y.)
DL Mike Stupiello, Assumption (Sr., Forked River, N.J.)
DL Emanuel Riggins, Assumption (Dorchester, Mass.)
DL Carlif Taylor, Southern Connecticut (Jr., New York, N.Y.)
DL Eric Schneider, Stonehill (Jr., Ventura Calif.)
LB Joel Bowen, American Int'l (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y.)
LB Julian Santiago, LIU Post (So., Selden, N.Y.)
LB Jimmy Holland, Merrimack (Sr., Billerica, Mass.)
LB Brian Wilcox, Southern Connecticut (Jr., Jericho, Vt.)
DB Erik Abramson, Assumption (Sr., Deerfield, Mass.)
DB Chris DiIorio, LIU Post (Sr., Holtsville, N.Y.)
DB Sterry Codrington, Stonehill (Jr., Freehold, N.J.)
DB Nate Morris, Stonehill (Jr., Providence, R.I.)
2013 Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team
Pos., Name, School (Year, Hometown)
WR Evan Graham, American Int'l (So., Springfield, Mass.)
DB Daquan Holmes, American Int'l (Fr., Troy, N.Y.)
DL Andrew Justice, American Int'l (So., Brooklyn, N.Y.)
DL Danny Omoregie, American Int'l (Fr., Lynn, Mass.)
P Tyler Ford, Bentley (Fr., Amherst, N.H.)
DB Sam McDonald, Bentley (Fr., Norfolk, Mass.)
WR Mike Richardson, LIU Post (Fr., West Babylon, N.Y.)
DB Jared Mincey, Merrimack (Fr., Edison, N.J.)
WR Justin Mount, Merrimack (Fr., Westford, Mass.)
DB Najae Brown*, New Haven (Fr., Edison, N.J.)
TE Mike Flacco, New Haven (So., Audubon, N.J.)
WR Tyshawn Headen, New Haven (So., Newark, N.J.)
OL Zach Voytek, New Haven (So., Trumbull, Conn.)
QB Antwan Washington, Pace (Fr., Belle Glade, Fla.)
QB Yiani Gavalas, Saint Anselm (Fr., Manhasset, N.Y.)
DL Jon Figura, Stonehill (Fr., Reading, Pa.)
OL Anthony Siciliano, Stonehill (Fr., Monroe, N.Y.)
* - Received a major yearly award (listed below)
Most Valuable Player – Kevin Arduino, American Int'l
Offensive Player of the Year – Joe Clancy, Merrimack
Defensive Player of the Year – Jaquawne Simpkins, American Int'l
Rookie of the Year – Najae Brown, New Haven
Offensive Lineman – Viondy Merisma, American Int'l
Defensive Lineman – Derrick Mann, Assumption
Coach of the Year – Art Wilkins, American Int'l
– #NE10 –